Silence in Action

The other day in an email I was invited to submit a workshop proposal for the upcoming Ignatian Spirituality Conference (ISC), sponsored jointly by the Jesuits and Saint Louis University. I had attended this conference, that is held every three years, a few time and about seven years ago had submitted a proposal that I believed was creative and informative. Rather than say no to the proposal they said that someone was already covering that topic. I attended that conference and went to the presentation that was supposed to mirror my proposal. The person started off saying she had been asked to talk about the subject of my proposal, admitted she did not know much about it, said a few words, and then went on to present on a completely different subject. I was upset and did not submit a proposal or attend the next conference.

However, this upcoming conference intrigues me since it is about Ignatian Spirituality and proposals are asked to relate in some way to the reflection of the present Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Jesuits, on Silence that is below. The heart and depth of silence in our busy everyday lives has been something dear to my heart and drive. I doubt if anyone would call me a man of silence but the silence described below is the type I strive to achieve. This invitation also reminds me that I should finish putting on the web the Retreat in Daily Life called “Finding God in All Things, A Retreat for A Pilgrim In A Busy World”. It is an adaption of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, in a thirteen week format.

But now to the heart of the matter, the quote on silence:

“Thus, although this may surprise some, I believe that one of the primary challenges facing the Society today is that of recovering the spirit of silence. I am not thinking of disciplinary measures, fixed times of silence, going back to religious houses that look more like monasteries. Rather, I am thinking of the hearts of our men. We all need a place inside ourselves where there is no noise, where the voice of the Spirit of God can speak to us, softly and gently, and direct our discernment. In a very true sense we need the ability to become ourselves silence, emptiness, an open space that the Word of God can fill, and the Spirit of God can set on fire for the good of others and of the Church. More than ever, every Jesuit should be able to live like a monk in the middle of the noise of the city – as an Orthodox friend of ours once said. That means that our hearts are our monasteries and at the bottom of every activity, every reflection, every decision, there is silence, the kind of silence that one shares only with God.” (Reflection by Adolfo Nicolas, Superior General of the Society of Jesus.)

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